Bruins Face Tough Test In Chicago, Look to Break Slump

by Scott Frano on Oct 15, 2011 2:00 PM EDT in Game Previews

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 29: Nathan Horton #18 of the Boston Bruins gets the puck past Corey Crawford #50 of the Chicago Blackhawks in the third period on March 29, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Bruins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The Bruins will play the Chicago Blackhawks tonight on the road at 8:30 EST. Hopefully, the Original Six matchup will shake the Bruins out of the rut they’ve been in to start the season. They are 1-3-0 so far, scoring only seven goals in their four games (with 4 coming in one game). After losing their first game, Chicago has won two in a row, both at home. They are 2-1-0 on the season.

Injuries

Boston

- Adam McQuaid (head) went crashing into the boards in Wednesday night’s game in Carolina and will not play tonight. David Krejci (core injury) will miss tonight’s game and is considered day to day. Steven Kampfer (knee) remains out of the lineup.

Chicago

-Wingers Viktor Stalberg (knee) and Ben Smith (concussion) could both return to the lineup. Center Phillipe Paradis is on the IR with an undisclosed injury.

Notes

- Maybe Claude can have a talk with Joel Quenneville tonight about dealing with the infamous "Stanley Cup hangover." The same thing happened to Chicago last year with an 11-11-2 start, though with a revamped roster

- There are no plans as of right now for a Providence callup

- The core of Chicago’s Cup-winning team is still intact. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook are as good a core group as you’ll find

- Ray Emery got the start in Chicago’s 4-3 win over the Jets Thursday, but Corey Crawford will be back in net tonight for the Hawks. Tim Thomas will likely start for the Bruins.

- Joe Corvo has looked good on the power play so far. He’s a very good skater

- The lines for Friday’s skate at the United Center were the same, except Matt Bartkowski took McQuaid’s place. Bartkowski will play tonight for the first time since the season opener, when McQuaid had the flu

- Old friend Daniel Carcillo returned to the Hawks lineup Thursday after a two-game suspension. He played on the second line with Kane and Hossa. One of these things is not like the other . . .

- Old friend #2 Steve Montador will also be in the lineup for the Hawks, paired with old friend #3 Sean O’Donnell. The Bruins better be licking their chops at that pairing

- Last year when these two teams met, Shawn Thornton left the ice with a cut over his eye. Thornton was enraged when a Hawks player chirped him as he left the ice. Thornton said after the game he would "deal with it in my own way." Hawks enforcer John Scott was none too happy about that, and said he'd "kick the [expletive]" out of Thornton if Thornton came after him. Should be interesting to see what happens. Here's a story on it from the Chicago Sun-Times. [Sun-Times]

Projected Bruins Lines

Milan Lucic- Tyler Seguin- Nathan Horton

Brad Marchand- Patrice Bergeron- Rich Peverley

Benoit Pouliot- Chris Kelly- Jordan Caron

Daniel Paille- Gregory Campbell- Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara- Johnny Boychuk

Dennis Seidenberg- Joe Corvo

Andrew Ference- Matt Bartkowski

Tim Thomas

Tuukka Rask

Projected Hawks Lines

Andrew Brunette- Jonathan Toews- Patrick Sharp

Daniel Carcillo- Patrick Kane- Marian Hossa

Bryan Bickell- Dave Bolland- Michael Frolik

Rostislav Olesz- Marcus Kruger- Jamal Mayers (Not sure where Stalberg and Smith would end up if they play, but Mayers and Olesz would be likely candidates to sit)

Duncan Keith- Nick Leddy

Brent Seabrook- Niklas Hjalmarsson

Steve Montador- Sean O’Donnell

Corey Crawford

Ray Emery

Puck Drop

8:30 PM EST (NESN, NHLN, 98.5 The Sports Hub)

Hawks SB Nation Site: Second City Hockey

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Comments

Hossa is apparently questionable now with an upper body injury as well

For Horton!

by Scott Frano on Oct 15, 2011 2:11 PM EDT reply actions

Better see some Thornton/Scott action!

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by Dave Carignan on Oct 15, 2011 3:31 PM EDT reply actions

Not sure how I feel about that, Scott is an absolute monster. Scott/Chara would be interesting, but honestly I don’t like anyone fighting that guy

For Horton!

by Scott Frano on Oct 15, 2011 4:45 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah Chara may be a better fit. Scott is a good at its finest.

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by Dave Carignan on Oct 15, 2011 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Personally, I’d rather not have a Norris trophy candidate fight a guy who has fewer points than he does seasons in the NHL. That tool bag can talk all he wants. He makes George Laraque look like Alex Ovechkin. At least Thornton has some hockey sense and can contribute a handful of points. Scott is just a POS that skates around trying to cash check’s his teammate’s mouths write. Thornton is usually the smaller guy in the fight and he usually does just fine. He can handle Scott.

by MattS on Oct 15, 2011 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions

How about fewer points than brain cells?

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by Dave Carignan on Oct 15, 2011 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions

funnily enough

Scott is smart, funny and very likeable (he has an engineering degree and everything). However, as a Hockey player he is a waste of space. We may as well strap a pair of skates on the Sears Tower…

enough of the niceties: time for the eye-gouging..

by mightymike D on Oct 15, 2011 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s what I was referring too, him as a player has no hockey IQ. I’m sure he’s a good guy after his skates are off most hockey players are.

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by Dave Carignan on Oct 15, 2011 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions

gotcha.

yeah, I like the guy a lot but boy does he suck. If he actually stopped people from roughing up the likes of Kane, Toews and Sharp I’d be happy but he just comes on and fights the opposition’s enforcer and that’s it. He was a strange signing. At least he only has a year to go (coming next week: “Bowman Inks Scott To 15-Year Deal”)

enough of the niceties: time for the eye-gouging..

by mightymike D on Oct 15, 2011 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, its hard calling him a POS

He is way too respectful to be a goon proper. He never should have given Raffi Torres a choice in the WCF but let the colostomy bag skate away to run at other players. Thornton might do ok in a single tilt but I just don’t see anyone lasting too many times against fluffy. Best to skate around him and score a goal.

I'm a pimp, and pimps don't commit suicide.

by hairhelmet on Oct 15, 2011 7:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Haha fluffy, nice.

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by Dave Carignan on Oct 15, 2011 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions

hey

SCH-type here.. we’re all down on our bended knees praying that Scott doesn’t dress.. he may be a monster in a (scripted) fight but he’s otherwise useless: can’t skate, will play three minutes tops and really won’t protect our guys. I’m surprised you folks fear him: I’d have thought you’d be laughing!

enough of the niceties: time for the eye-gouging..

by mightymike D on Oct 15, 2011 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Don’t think we fear him at all, he did how ever rearrange Kevin Westgarth’s face pretty well. Honestly the way the bruins have been playing, Scott looking for some trouble may be something they need.

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by Dave Carignan on Oct 15, 2011 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions

and that WAS hilarious

And yeah, last thing we (as in ’Hawks) want to do is get Boston into that uber-physical mode that whipped the shit out of the ’Nucks last year.. welcome to Cup Hangovers, folks.. I remember the pain.

enough of the niceties: time for the eye-gouging..

by mightymike D on Oct 15, 2011 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions